How Media Has Impacted My Daily Life

From smartphone usage to watching news on the TV, media is widely utilized in my life in order for me to be able to connect with the world, and what’s going around me. Being from Turkey, media, especially the television, newspapers, and online news platforms on the internet, allows me to stay updated with the current events taking place there, as well as keep in touch with long life friends. I can easily say I utilize all forms of social media in my everyday life. For example, a general day of mine can start with watching the news in the morning, followed up by a ride to school which consists of listening to my favorite radio stations. Depending on my mood, I can listen to talk shows or music. Although I don’t regularly read anything other than educational materials, those materials still make up a form of media. Through my class textbooks, such as the textbook for this class, I can come to a better understanding of the current events, trends, and simply the world around me. Moreover, the various movies and TV shows that I’m able to watch through Netflix, as well as the games I play on the phone, all make up a different form of media as well.

Although all types of media are incorporated in my life, the one that I need and use the most is social media. I’m always logged on to different types of social media platforms to ensure connection with my family and friends in Turkey, while keeping myself updated on the current events happening here in Miami as well. As aforementioned, through the traditional means of printed news and television, one can keep up with the news; however, as more and more people feel comfortable with Internet usage, and as it is more widely spread, social media and news platforms that are online tend to be the best way of finding news. Through social media’s accessibility, ease of use, and universality, one can get the news of an event happening on the other side of the world prior to any traditional form of media exploiting it first. The quickness of social media has been useful in this matter, but it also has forced various businesses and public figures to involve themselves within social media in order to connect with their consumers better, and use the first-mover advantage to explain a crisis themselves. According to the Fortune magazine, businesses can’t even survive today without usage of effective social media in regard to brand reputation management.

Each type of media can be discussed in their own terms, and each type of media have their own ways of effecting society. Although my phone tends to lower my productivity and creativity by keeping me busy with phone talks, long conversations, and endless hours of playing games, my class textbooks keep me informed, gives me new ideas, and promotes productivity. However, I can easily say that no form of media truly produces originality. Even as I’m reading a textbook, I’m simply learning and applying this knowledge in tests, homework, and sometimes even in real life situations. However, it doesn’t promote originality within me. In fact, I think through social media, more and more people are losing their originality, and their overall sense of self.

As can be seen, the world of media is a large one with many components to it. With the various forms of media used in my everyday life, it’s important to see how it’s affecting me. Although some forms of media assist me greatly by giving me access to talk to friends and family that are far away, and by keeping updated with current events, they do negatively affect my levels of innovation, particularly my productivity and creativity, by keeping me constantly busy. It’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t have a smart phone in their hands these days. Even as I look around in the library right now, I see everyone utilizing some type of media. Media has become so incorporated in society that it’s difficult to imagine a world without it.